A Compact With A Big Heart: Leica X1

This baby has a sensor BIGGER than Canon 50D!

http://www.photographyblog.com

Following the breakthrough trend of digital imaging in 2009, things are looking to be more interesting than ever.

The current kapow! as I've mentioned before, is making the mirrors in SLR looking like a disgusting piece of useless junk. The tech of feeding images direct on the sensor 'live' has evidently made us rethink of how imaging tool should look like.

The interesting bit is, who's bold enough to redefine it?

Most traditional camera makers are... well, traditionalist. What keeps them selling is their heritage. And they would not be willing to risk losing that by offering groundbreaking breakthroughs. As such, their approach will always be baby-steps of improvements as well as keeping up with the current needs by deploying existing available technologies.

So, the answer to above is: makers that has NOTHING to lose.

Enter mediocre or niche manufacturers. Makers such as Olympus, Panasonic, Leica and Sigma in particular. For 2009, they are truly the leaders in redefining how future cameras SHOULD look like.

A Small Man, With A Big Heart (and no mirror to speak of too)

Sigma was among the first to put this principle to the mass market. In a compact form factor, they deployed a DSLR sensor. But due to exploration stage, the DP1 had a lot of rough edges. But, it was a step in a special direction. Their forthcoming DP2 is set to be a success.

Olympus followed suit armed with their existing 4/3 technology. With ques from the classic PEN series, the E-P1 was a phenomenal success. Panasonic too joined the fray and produced the awesome GF1 (earlier, there were G1 and GH1).

And the next maker to join the party is one that makes my heart melt. Leica, a niche imaging specialist, has produced a truly special compact camera with a 1.5x DSLR sensor.

Go to www.dpreview.com for more images!

I'm planning to get the GF1 next year. And the Leica X1 probably... ermm... in my dreams.

2009 Camera Breakthroughs

Gearheads in the photography world must be very happy. Within a matter of months, there have been so many ground breaking releases that will ultimately set the pace for future photography.

First up, the drop dead gorgeous Olympus shook the world with its mirror-less SLR called E-P1. And the fact that they designed it oh-so-beautifully, taking cues from the iconic PEN series, makes this one of the most beautiful prosumer camera there is in the market. Mirror-less SLR was first released by Panasonic few months earlier, but it’s nothing as gorgeous as this. The highs from this camera is the ability to take SLR-quality pics, without the SLR bulk and attention. The lows, well, actually only one; the lack of pop-up flash. So, in short, dang! A winner!

But more profound, is the announcement of new DSLR line-ups from Sony. Since 2008, Sony has been redefining the DSLR market. And no one can deny their influence in creating the sub-RM2K entry level segment when the cheapest entry level DSLR was then at sub-RM4K. Lots of people must thank Sony for this.

And here they go again. With the introduction of A850, Sony is again causing headaches amongst the camera manufacturers by introducing a sub-RM7K full-frame DSLR where traditionally, it has always been in the sub-RM10K bracket. Full-frame is the term used to categorize a DSLR that dons a sensor that’s the same size as the traditional 35mm film. What’s going to happen from this point onward is that, other manufacturers will get back on their drawing board and squeeze their cost down to compete in the same segment. And all in all, the consumers will benefit. Ah, what a wonderful capitalism world.

Another breakthrough is Sony’s upcoming A500/550 model where it will come with an Auto-HDR feature. I can tell you just how much this feature will redefine photography. Wiki up HDR and learn about this. Currently, HDR can only be done via post-processing. Even though this feature has already been embedded in some high-end point-and-shoot, having this in an SLR is truly remarkable.

Shrunkenstein: What We Can Learn From Nikon D5000.

The world is getting smaller. Gone are the days when you travel 3months for 3000miles just to see your long lost cousins. Now, you just add them in Facebook.

Despite my introduction only has 4.5% relevance to my title, the irony is, SLR cameras too are getting smaller. It's ironic coz... even with small bodied DSLR, lenses are unlikely to be smaller. So, why make them smaller???

Olympus lauded their 'pocketable' E-420 model. And when scrutinized further, what those smart Japanese meant was; pocketable in a "jacket"... duh! And of coz when mounted with a pancake lens... duh!

Smart Japanese.

Anyway, back to the topic. The trend nowadays is, developing smaller-sized DSLRs. The cash-cow is the entry-level models. Sony has 3 models, Canon has.. duh, I lost count... Nikon has 2 and Olympus has 3. The question is, why make them smaller when the lens will always be big?

Well, the analogy is simple. With prices spiraling down, the race between DSLR makers are on capturing the most migrates of compact camera to the DSLR world. And I guess, the Japanese has got smart socio-scientists to tell them that most of them are either ladies or humans with small hands. And so, the make it smaller.

I seriously think there is a fatal flaw in this analogy. In 5 years time, these newbies will be developing ergonomics problems. Why? Well, in the quest to capture better pictures, newbies will buy better lenses. Better lenses must still confide with the laws of optics. Therefore, the better it is, the bigger and heavier it must be. And same goes with flashes. Now imagine, a cutie small DSLR mounted with a 70-200f/2.8 lens with a gobsmack flash thrice bigger than the camera. I smell neck-pain and frozen-wrist.

So, instead of spending million-hours of Japanese thinking power to reduce the size of a DSLR, think of a different way to attract the newcomers. Stick to an "acceptable" size and load it up with features that no photographer needs, like MP3, loud speakers, text messaging, twibble etc etc. In addition, give it some colors to differentiate the ladies and the menses (that didn't sound right).

Always think: the lenses will always be big. So why bother making smaller DSLR.

I have a special reference to a particular brand that, in my opinion, has gone overboard. Sony's latest entry level models looked great. But in the bid to make it smaller, they've taken off some critical buttons and features. The overall design might be appealing to newbies but half way thru it's life cycle, it'll create tension and frustrations.

Nikon has done a great job with the D5000 model. They created a small DSLR loaded with a hellava features. But, it's just way too small. Poor pinky finger wont have any place to rest.

So, dear smart Japanese, DSLRs aren't just for Japanese. It's for the whole world. So, please don't make it too small.

At the end of the day, it's great that manufacturers are challenging the status quo by producing exciting form factors for DSLR. I applaud that. But I wish, in the bid to do so, critical functions should NOT be removed. Olympus E-620 and Nikon D5000 are both fine examples of "get 'em smaller and better" and should be supported.

Lastly... dear smart Japanese at Olympus - your E-P1 ROCKS!